There are no indications that the Indian Navy considers the P-75I to be unfeasible

CategoryDefence

Last Updated28/01/2023

A media report recently claimed that the Navy, faced with a single vendor option in Project-75I may place a repeat order for Scorpene-class submarines to be built at Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL).
According to the report, the Navy plans on installing DRDO’s still-to-be-developed AIP on the new submarines, impelled in no small measure by China in the Indian Ocean.

Based almost entirely on conjecture: It seemingly intended to dub Project 75I as impractical and “unviable” & there are no indications that the Navy considers the P-75I to be unfeasible.
No signs of the Navy’s lack of confidence in the P-75I: While the Navy has had issues, there has never been a sense of doom about the project.
Most difficult Navy’s conditions for foreign collaborators: AIP needs to be a proven system & so, except for one, no vendor that bid for the P-75I has a proven AIP system.

Issues with foreign companies: A French company that built Scorpene- class submarines transferred insufficient technology during Project 75.
Role of MDL: The skills obtained ought to be used in a home-grown project like P-75I that would enable Indian shipbuilders to construct future submarines without external help.
Adverse impact of Navy’s indigenisation initiative: A repeat of Scorpene- class submarines at the altar of P-75I would mean abandonment of the strategic partnership model.

Flawed claim of efficacy of lithium-ion batteries than AIP: Lithium batteries, while offering better efficiency, power, and charge and discharge dynamics, are unstable and suffer from thermal runaway, fire, and explosion risks.
No maturation in lithium-ion fuel cell technology: It has still not reached a stage of maturation for the Indian Navy to consider it reliable.
Question of efficacy of DRDO’s phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC)-based AIP: PAFC technology is more rugged than other fuel cell types & offers longer life and efficiency but it is expensive, complex, and difficult to maintain.

The speculation in the media that Project 75I is ill-suited for the Navy is tendentious misinformation aimed ostensibly to influence the defence decision-making process.
There are no signs yet that the Navy is about to — or indeed should — abandon the P-75I.